R. Balki, an Indian filmmaker, initially visited Beijing in 2002 to film an advertisement for such an LG television along the Great Wall. What a difference time has made. His most recent trip to Beijing was to show off his new Bollywood movie Padman, an aspirational movie based on Arunachalam Muruganantham, a real-life Indian entrepreneur that devised a machine to produce affordable sanitary pads for the underprivileged women who might otherwise use old unclean rags.
As superstar Shah Rukh Khan exited the arrivals gate at Beijing Capital International Airport, a swarm of screaming fans rushed toward him.
As many others embraced as well as kissed him, one admirer who had travelled from remote Xinjiang placed a black embroidered hat distinctive to China’s Uighur ethnic minority on his head. Another admirer presented him with a dutar, a Central Asian lute that she had flown in from the region.
“Sha Sha!” they said, referring to his Chinese moniker.
The Bollywood actress arrived in Beijing for such a city’s international film festival, which took place from April 13 to April 20. His most recent picture, “Zero,” was the festival’s closing feature, and he spoke at a discussion about Indian and Chinese producers working together towards films.
Apolitical works centred on romance or societal topics that China and India share in particular may well have established a successful niche in China. “Dangal,” a Bollywood movie about such a father that defies patriarchal standards to train his daughters as professional wrestlers, bringing India honour inside the process, was an unexpected success in China in 2017. It brought in $193 million in China, which was 16 times more than that of the $12 million it earned in India.
Last year, the musical drama “Secret Superstar,” about such a young girl who wears a niqab to perform on YouTube in defiance of her violent father, grossed $104 million in China, compared to $11.9 million in the United States. In China, the education-themed film “Hindi Medium” grossed $34 million last year. Another education-themed movie, “3 Idiots,” was produced in 2009 and has since become a cult favourite in China.
Bollywood is still lagging behind Hollywood. Except for maybe “Dangal,” which is ranked No. 36, the top 50 highest-grossing movies in Chinese history are mostly from China, Hong Kong, or the United States.
As per the entertainment research firm EntGroup, the “Fast & Furious” franchise is the most popular in China, having two recent releases grossing $397 million and $361 million, respectively, whereas “Avengers: Infinity War” placed 11th with $356 million.
Also Read: Shah Rukh Khan has been urged to sue Sameer Wankhede
